Idris Elba Starts New Car Show 'King Of Speed'

Television stations and the internet are awash with car-themed programs, both serious and--in the case of shows like Top Gear--less so. But we always welcome more, which is why Idris Elba: King Of Speed has caught our attention.

You may not have heard of Idris Elba, but the actor has appeared in movies like Thor, Pacific Rim and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, as well as TV shows The Wire and Luther. He's also a huge car guy and obsessed by speed, and, as Autoblog points out, this is where his new short series comes in.

Produced by the BBC (and hosted online for as long as the BBC allows it, so watch them while you can), the series follows Elba as he looks into some of the world's most popular motorsport disciplines and car cultures, meeting some of the top names in various disciplines and getting to drive a huge range of diverse vehicles. Everything from rallying through NASCAR and drifting through lowriders is represented in the show, all giving a unique insight into what makes gearheads tick.

It's well worth watching, if only to see how varied our car culture is--Elba starts the show from the most humble beginnings, at a tire center near to where he got his first job as a tire fitter, before moving on to some of the most advanced racing vehicles and high-octane pursuits on the planet. Check out the first video above, and you can catch the second one-hour installment below.

In the comments, why not let us know how you got interested in cars and speed?